Caloocan survived a furious fourth-quarter rally from Manila SV Batang Sampaloc to claim a narrow 79-78 victory in Game 1 of their best-of-three quarterfinals in the MPBL Sixth Season at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.
The Batang Kankaloo squandered a 20-point lead (36-16) in the second quarter but held on, thanks to the heroics of Joco Tayongtong, who was named the Daily Fantasy Best Player.
Tayongtong stepped up after Caloocan’s top gun, Jeramer Cabanag, fouled out, scoring eight crucial points to fend off the Stars’ relentless comeback. He also sank a key free throw with 4.8 seconds remaining, giving Caloocan a 79-75 cushion.
Manila’s Joshua Torralba hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer to close the final margin in what was a highly physical contest, marking the start of the eight-team playoffs for both the North and South Divisions of the 29-team league.
“We kept our poise when they came back,” said Caloocan head coach Ronnie Dojillo. “We knew it was going to be tough.”
Cabanag exited the game after leading Caloocan with 22 points and 3 assists, while Tayongtong contributed 13 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists.
Manila, led by Mike Tolomia, Greg Slaughter, Jorey Napoles, and Enzo Navarro, closed the gap multiple times, coming within a point at 71-72.
However, Tayongtong responded each time to keep Caloocan ahead. Slaughter finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds but was ejected after receiving two unsportsmanlike fouls.
Caloocan’s Ronnie Matias also suffered the same fate while defending the 7-foot Slaughter.
Napoles added 16 points for Manila, while Torralba chipped in 13.
Despite finishing ahead of Caloocan as the North’s No. 4 seed, Manila now faces a do-or-die Game 2 to avoid elimination.
